分类： politics

Human rights organizations Alqst and MENA Rights Group have formally protested to the United Nations regarding its counterterrorism office’s controversial partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia’s security apparatus, led by an official implicated in the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In a letter addressed to Alexandre Zouev, the UN’s acting undersecretary general for counterterrorism, the groups expressed “profound alarm” over the memorandum of understanding signed between the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) and Saudi Arabia’s Presidency of State Security (PSS) during Zouev’s recent visit to Riyadh.

The agreement was signed with PSS chief Abdulaziz al-Howairini, whom a UN investigation by former Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard directly linked to the 2018 Istanbul consulate murder of the Washington Post columnist. US intelligence agencies believe Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorized the assassination.

Callamard’s definitive report documented how Saudi state security officials coordinated all aspects of the operation, including private jet travel and accommodations for the assassination team. Additional reporting by The Guardian in December 2021 placed Howairini at luxury Riyadh villas housing individuals charged with Khashoggi’s murder.

The rights organizations revealed they had previously urged Zouev’s office to adhere to UN principles and international law before finalizing any agreement, receiving only generic responses that ignored their specific concerns. Three weeks later, the UN signed the partnership despite its own human rights due diligence policy requiring assessment of potential support to security forces implicated in violations.

Tanya Boulakovski of MENA Rights Group stated the agreement “formalizes a partnership with a state security apparatus responsible for widely documented human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance of peaceful dissidents.”

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly been accused of weaponizing counterterrorism legislation to suppress dissent through executions, torture, and political imprisonment. UN human rights experts have extensively documented these violations across multiple committees and special rapporteurs.

In a concerning development, Saudi Arabia was additionally selected to chair a new working group on “countering terrorist travel” despite its systematic use of travel bans against human rights defenders and their families, as exemplified by women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul and her parents.

The United States has intensified its confrontation with the International Criminal Court by imposing sanctions on two additional judges involved in the Gaza war crimes investigation. Judges Gocha Lordkipanidze of Georgia and Erdenebalsuren Damdin of Mongolia, both members of the ICC’s appeals chamber, were targeted following their recent decision to reject Israel’s appeal against the investigation into alleged crimes in Gaza post-October 2023.

This development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing standoff between the Trump administration and the international judicial body. The sanctioned judges were part of the majority that dismissed Israel’s arguments challenging the validity of the investigation that previously resulted in arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement condemning what he characterized as “politicized actions targeting Israel” that “set a dangerous precedent for all nations.” The statement emphasized Washington’s rejection of the court’s jurisdiction over US and Israeli nationals and promised “significant and tangible consequences” for what it termed ICC “lawfare and overreach.”

The sanctions have created substantial practical difficulties for affected officials, including frozen assets, travel bans, and exclusion from global financial systems. Peruvian judge Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza, previously sanctioned for her role in the Afghanistan investigation, revealed the personal impact including inability to use credit cards, banking systems utilizing US dollars, or money transfer services like Western Union.

Despite these measures, ICC officials remain resolute. Judge Carranza stated that the sanctions have actually strengthened judicial solidarity, noting that “we are more united than ever” in maintaining their independence and continuing their duties.

The legal foundation of the investigation traces back to Palestine’s 2018 referral, with the ICC initiating formal proceedings in 2021. Since November 2023, seven additional nations—South Africa, Bangladesh, Comoros, Bolivia, Djibouti, Chile, and Mexico—have filed separate referrals supporting the investigation.

Israel’s appeal centered on procedural arguments, claiming the prosecutor should have issued fresh notifications after the new referrals pursuant to Article 18(1) of the Rome Statute. The appeals chamber unanimously determined that the original 2021 notification adequately covered subsequent developments, including post-October 2023 events, making additional notifications unnecessary.

The ICC has implemented confidential countermeasures to protect its operations from sanction impacts, though specific details remain undisclosed to preserve their effectiveness. With these latest sanctions, all but one member of the appeals chamber (Judge Tomoko Akane of Japan) now face US restrictions, creating unprecedented challenges for international justice mechanisms.

France-based Intelligence Online has identified the United Arab Emirates as the previously undisclosed customer in a monumental $2.3 billion defense agreement with Israel’s Elbit Systems, originally announced in November. The eight-year contract represents one of the most significant arms deals between the two nations since normalizing relations through the Abraham Accords.

The procurement centers on Elbit’s advanced J-Music aircraft protection system, which employs cutting-edge laser technology to neutralize surface-to-air missile sensors targeting both civil and military aircraft. This sophisticated electronic defense capability substantially enhances the UAE’s aerial security infrastructure.

Despite Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza—actions characterized by numerous Arab leaders and UN experts as genocidal—the UAE has maintained its defense cooperation with Israeli firms. This stance distinguishes Abu Dhabi from neighboring Gulf states, with analysts noting the Emirates’ willingness to disrupt regional consensus regarding Israel.

The partnership extends beyond Elbit Systems to include collaborations with Emirati state-owned defense conglomerate Edge, which has actively pursued Israeli technology partnerships even during the Gaza conflict. In November 2021, Edge partnered with Israel Aerospace Industries to develop unmanned vessels for anti-submarine warfare, and recently acquired a 30% stake in Israeli drone detection specialist Thirdeye Systems.

This deepening military relationship has drawn attention in Washington, where officials express concern over the UAE’s simultaneous strengthening of defense ties with China. The Gulf nation recently conducted its third joint air force drill with China, while US intelligence assessments indicate continued Chinese military presence at Abu Dhabi facilities potentially serving dual purposes.

The convergence of Israeli technology transfer and Emirati-Chinese military cooperation creates complex geopolitical considerations for US policymakers, particularly regarding the potential diversion of advanced defense systems to strategic competitors.

Bangladesh has been plunged into political turmoil following the targeted assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth movement leader whose death has triggered widespread protests and violent demonstrations across the capital. The 32-year-old senior figure of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha was fatally shot by masked assailants while departing from a mosque in Dhaka last week, succumbing to his injuries on Thursday during medical treatment in Singapore.

The timing of Hadi’s assassination carries profound political significance, occurring merely one day after Bangladeshi authorities announced the schedule for the nation’s first elections since the 2024 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hadi had been preparing to contest the elections as an independent candidate, positioning himself as a vocal critic of neighboring India where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.

As news of Hadi’s death circulated on Thursday, hundreds of supporters converged upon a central square in Dhaka, transforming their grief into angry demonstrations. The protests rapidly escalated into violence as enraged crowds vandalized the offices of leading Bangladeshi newspapers The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, with one building set ablaze. A police officer confirmed to BBC Bangla that ‘hundreds of people have gathered here and carried out the attack,’ prompting the deployment of military troops to restore order. Firefighters conducted rescue operations to evacuate journalists trapped within the besieged buildings.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim caretaker government, declared Hadi’s death ‘an irreparable loss for the nation’ in a televised address. ‘The country’s march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed,’ Yunus asserted, while the government declared Saturday a day of national mourning. Yunus had previously characterized the shooting as a premeditated attack, stating shortly after the incident that ‘the objective of the conspirators is to derail the election’ and warning that ‘no form of violence intended to disrupt the election will be tolerated.’

The assassination represents a critical juncture for Bangladesh’s fragile political transition. Hasina fled to India on August 5th last year following weeks of student-led protests that ended her 15-year increasingly authoritarian rule. In a significant development last November, she was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity after being convicted of permitting lethal force against protesters, resulting in approximately 1,400 deaths during the unrest.

Investigations into Hadi’s assassination are ongoing, with authorities confirming several detentions in connection with the shooting. The incident has drawn condemnation from across Bangladesh’s political spectrum, with parties collectively urging the interim government to bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the electoral process proceeds without further violence.

Human Rights First (HRF), a prominent US-based advocacy organization, has formally submitted a comprehensive dossier to the Trump administration calling for targeted sanctions against Bahrain’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. The submission, delivered on Thursday, presents evidence alleging the minister’s direct oversight of systematic torture practices within Bahrain’s detention facilities since 2011.

The documentation accuses Minister Al Khalifa, who has led Bahrain’s interior ministry since 2004, of supervising torture and cruel treatment of political prisoners despite Bahrain’s status as a signatory to the UN Convention Against Torture. According to HRF’s statement obtained by Middle East Eye, prisoners have faced severe beatings to extract confessions and been systematically denied essential medical care, resulting in multiple fatalities.

HRF President and CEO Uzra Zeya emphasized that “torture and cruel treatment in Bahrain’s prisons have continued well past the crackdown on the country’s 2011 uprising.” The organization contends that US law mandates visa bans and financial sanctions against foreign officials implicated in gross human rights violations.

The recommendation builds upon longstanding concerns expressed by senior US lawmakers, including previous communications from figures such as Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Ron Wyden. In 2021 correspondence with the State Department, these legislators expressed alarm about Bahrain’s violent repression and warned that systemic abuses could undermine both domestic stability and US strategic interests, particularly regarding the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain.

HRF’s submission argues that Minister Al Khalifa meets the legal threshold for sanctions under both the Global Magnitsky Act and Section 7031(c) of US law, which authorizes visa restrictions against foreign officials involved in significant human rights violations. The organization advocates for a policy shift away from what it describes as an “illusion of stability sustained by impunity” toward measures that prioritize accountability and behavioral change.

This development follows the UN Committee Against Torture’s recent observations expressing deep concern about “consistent reports indicating that persons in custody are subjected to torture or ill-treatment” in Bahrain and the “reported lack of accountability, which contributes to a climate of impunity.” Middle East Eye has contacted both the Bahraini government and US State Department for comment regarding these allegations.

Bangladesh descended into political turmoil Thursday night as enraged protesters stormed the offices of the country’s two leading newspapers following the death of prominent opposition activist Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore. The violent demonstrations included arson attacks that trapped journalists inside burning buildings.

Hadi, a spokesperson for the Inqilab Moncho cultural group and vocal critic of both India and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, succumbed to injuries sustained in a targeted assassination attempt one week earlier. The activist was shot while riding a rickshaw in Dhaka by motorcycle-borne assailants who remain at large.

The assassination has triggered significant diplomatic tensions between Bangladesh and India. Bangladeshi authorities claim the shooter likely fled to India, prompting reciprocal diplomatic summonses between the neighboring nations. India subsequently summoned Bangladesh’s envoy to express condemnation, while Dhaka demanded clarifications from New Delhi.

Hadi had planned to run as an independent candidate in February’s national elections—the first since the 2024 uprising that ousted Hasina’s 15-year administration. The Inqilab Moncho group has actively promoted anti-Indian sentiment in the Muslim-majority nation since Hasina’s removal, with the former leader now residing in self-imposed exile in India.

Thursday’s protests began with hundreds gathering at Dhaka’s Shahbagh Square, chanting religious and political slogans. The demonstrations rapidly escalated as separate groups attacked the headquarters of Prothom Alo (Bangladesh’s leading Bengali-language daily) and The Daily Star (the premier English-language publication). Security forces deployed around the buildings but refrained from intervening as fires trapped staff inside, with one journalist reporting severe smoke inhalation via social media.

Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s interim leader who assumed power after Hasina’s August 2024 ouster, addressed the nation promising justice for Hadi’s killers. Yunus declared a national day of mourning for Saturday while urging calm. Critics however blame Yunus’s administration for rising Islamist influence in a country with a troubled history of political violence.

The interim government has banned all activities of Hasina’s Awami League party, including participation in February’s elections. Last month, a Bangladeshi court sentenced the former prime minister to death for crimes against humanity related to the 2024 uprising. Recent days have seen additional anti-India protests targeting diplomatic facilities, prompting India to suspend tourist visas for Bangladeshis citing security concerns.